A birthday at home in Spain
A family party in Spain. A young cousin wants to blow out the candles. A piñata and gifts come first, then the cake and the ear pulls.
El cumpleaños en casa
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense and party words: cake, candles, piñata, gifts, and a secret wish.
The narrator's young cousin wants to blow out the candles at a home birthday in Spain. Food, a cardboard piñata, and wrapped gifts come first. Then the cake has one candle for each year, a secret wish, and the grandmother pulls his ear once for each year.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
Los cumpleaños son días especiales
newBirthdays are special days
This phrase describes the cultural importance of birthdays in Spain.
Useful for talking about celebrations and their significance.
El pastel es el centro de la fiesta
newThe cake is the center of the party
The cake is always the main element of a Spanish birthday celebration.
Helps describe the traditional structure of a celebration.
El cumpleañero sopla y pide un deseo secreto
newThe birthday person blows (out candles) and makes a secret wish
Blowing out candles and making a wish is a key birthday moment.
Useful for describing traditions and rituals.
Los invitados traen regalos envueltos
newGuests bring wrapped gifts
Wrapped gifts are a traditional part of Spanish birthdays.
Useful for talking about gifts and etiquette.
En Cataluña tiran del oído
newIn Catalonia they pull on the ear as many times as years old
A unique Catalan tradition of pulling the birthday person's ear.
Interesting to know about regional Spanish traditions.
Marca la transición a la adultez
newIt marks the transition to adulthood
The phrase marks the cultural significance of this tradition.
Useful for understanding the cultural importance of traditions.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Cake
el pastel
Cake (dessert for a celebration)
Masculine noun. The cake is decorated with candles for birthdays.
Central element of any birthday celebration.
Candle
la vela
Candle
Feminine noun. Candles are lit on the cake and blown out by the birthday person.
Key element of the wish-making tradition.
Piñata
la piñata
Piñata (candy-filled decoration)
Feminine noun. A piñata is a paper structure filled with candy inside.
Traditional decoration for children's parties in Spain and Latin America.
Balloons
los globos
Balloons
Masculine plural noun. Balloons decorate the party area.
A colorful word for describing party atmosphere.
Gifts
los regalos
Gifts
Masculine plural noun. Guests bring gifts for the birthday person.
Essential word for talking about celebrations.
Wish
el deseo
Wish
Masculine noun. The tradition of making a wish when blowing out candles.
Connected to a popular celebration tradition.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Definite article + noun
Artículo determinado + sustantivo
Using definite articles (el, la, los, las) before nouns
In Spanish, the definite article indicates a specific object: «los niños» = the children (specific).
Helps distinguish between specific and general concepts in Spanish.
Ordinal number: quince años
Número ordinal: a los quince años
Ordinal number «quince» (fifteenth)
«A los quince años» = at fifteen years old. Ordinal numbers in Spanish agree in gender.
Important for describing age stages and traditions.
Verb pedir in present tense
Verbo pedir en presente
Pedir (to ask for, to request) — third person singular present
«El cumpleañero pide» = the birthday person asks for. This is an irregular verb: pedir → pido, pides, pide.
Verb pedir is useful for everyday situations.
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